Crowne Plaza Basingstoke by IHG

Where it’s the bar staff or the girls on reception (the lovely Sam) you’re always made feel welcome here in the Crowne Plaza. The rooms are always clean and lovely. The morning breakfast and dinner luck are also a 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

Booked this place for an anniversary stay due to the reviews and a recommendation however, it was not what we hoped for. Prior to visiting the place, I called in and spoke to reception (can't remember the name of the girl I spoke to) but they assured that a room with a bath has been allocated and something to mark the occasion would be done ( i was happy to pay) and would have a room in the quieter area. However, none of it was arranged, and therefore upon arriving this had to be sorted out. Bad start - and what's even worse is the amount of dust that was found and for the fact my partner has a dust allergy due operation was not good at all - while the receptionist was adamant there's thorough cleaning as due to covid, alas I could see none of that. Won't be booking this place in a hurry.

We booked a 2 night stay package deal with paultons park we have a 2 year old and a 4 year old on arrival the hotel is beautifully presented and we were greeted by a lovely lady called Bella and she’s straight away interacted with the kids asking them about their day. We asked to book dinner as soon as we could as kids were exhausted from day at peppa pig world and although dinner service is from 6 she advised she could request they make it for half 5 and we could pre order! The room is exceptionally clean and the air con was on so was beautiful to walk into after a very hot day! We had a lovely shower got changed and headed down for dinner. On arrival to the restaurant 2 gentleman servers called Faxa (I really hope that is correct) and Daniel were immediately attending to our every need they were absolutely fantastic and my son Freddie took a liking to Faxa he was just great. The food was absolutely delicious and we didn’t realise that kids ate free so the boys got a HUGE plate of dinner, ice cream and jelly and a juice for free but we would have been more than happy to pay £5.99 for this .. very reasonable.. nice surprise in paying that it was free though of course! As big travellers my partner had the curry and he said it was exactly like the ones we had in Thailand, I had the chicken ceaser salad and it was beautifully fresh so hats off to the chef too!! After dinner we had a drink in the garden we were served at the bar by Ellie and She was amazing very chatty and super friendly. We travel a lot and have been to lots of hotels all over the UK this is our first night and by far one of the best we have visited and I think it’s definitely down to the staff and the yummy food of course! We have booked in for dinner again tomorrow at 6pm and can’t wait! Will be sad to leave this hotel for sure!! Thank you all xxxx

We stayed here as part of a groupon deal and was not impressed. The photos of the outside of the hotel on the website do not reflect the reality. It’s a lot more tired than advertised. The outside seating is very tired and there’s a lot of unsightly out buildings around the hotel. The carpet outside the room was taped down. The room was fine inside but the view from the window was of overgrown bushes. It feels more of a hotel used as a stop gap when travelling rather than the luxury break advertised and in need of done TLC in areas. The food in the hotel was actually nice but again the restaurant is pretty dated. In the morning there’s a long queue for breakfast and was only one person serving as well as making toast at the same time. We had to ask for cups for coffee, bowls and milk for cereal etc

We booked here as part of a two night package through Paultons Park. It was about a 40 minute drive from the park but very convenient as it was right off the motorway. Having said that, you would never have known how close it was, it was very peaceful and quite secluded actually. Check in was quick and simple,very friendly reception staff. We were able to change our dinner reservation with no hassle and the kids were given welcome activity packs which kept them entertained. The room was spacious, comfy beds, great shower. The air con was particularly welcome on this stay as it was boiling outside. No bath, but the shower was so big there was plenty of space to bathe the children. The only annoying thing was that the shower entrance was right behind the door which made things a bit tricky but I'm but picking there. The restaurant was nice and the food fine. One of the reasons we chose the hotel was due to the fact that the kids ate free. Kids meals were to a good standard. They also had the forethought to bring the kids meals out first which as gratefully received. They took a bit too long coming for our dessert order so we left it but rebooked again for the following evening. Breakfast was better than I had expected. Good selection and good standard. Everything you would expect. Coffee machine broke on the first morning and still wasn't fixed the following morning but it wasn't a problem. Dinner the following night was a slightly different experience. It was a lot busier and the staff just couldn't handle it. We waited 45 mins for our food. That was after waiting a good 15 mins before someone took our order. We saw numerous other customers going over to waiters asking to have their order taken or asking where their good was too. Indeed, the waiters seemed to never know which table they were going to, they just seemed to wander round with a tray of food or drinks and hope for the best!! The barmaid was particularly useless in this department! When the food arrived it was nice and the staff were friendly, I just think they were overwhelmed. Overall, I would stay here again but perhaps not go to restaurant. Rooms were lovely and quiet.

It was a very warm welcome at reception. The hotel room that far exceeded expectations - extremely clean, huge and comfortable bed, large television and modern bathroom. Delicious dinner and breakfast and on both occasions staff were very friendly. Dinner staff could have been a little more informative in Covid times as we were often unsure of how to order etc. The gym was well equipped. Overall very positive.

We booked a package through Paultons Park. This hotel came up the cheapest but do not let that cloud your judgement. The receptionist was so welcoming, really lovely lady. She issued us with 2 free drinks vouchers for the kids and 2 free Lolly's. The room is a lovely size, spotlessly clean and everything you need. The shower was lovely and warm and a good strength. They rooms are warm also. We booked a table for dinner and we was given 15% off our meals and also kids under 12 eat free. This was another bonus. The waiter who took our order was lovely and food arrived out hot and very delicious. The chicken burger my husband had was huge and very tasty and I went for the rib-eye. I must say it was probably one of the best I have had. Kids enjoyed the meals also. We had a lovely night sleep, no noise from outside or from the corridors. TV in the room has a range of channels to suit every age group. Breakfast this morning was so delicious. Continental and full English. The hot food was served to you (as we are still in covid) there was a good range of foods to offer. Tea, coffee, juices also. As we are still in covid times we thought that they may have limited service but it was all done perfectly safe and we didnt feel like we missed out on anything. We will 100% be visiting again. A strong 10/10 from me Xx

I have stayed here for thr last 5 months for work. Sam the south africian lady on reception has made my stay feel like coming home. Bogdan the food and beverage mamager no jos to smalk or big. The staff very friendly the rooms are spotless

Great room, location and staff. Truly appalling dinner. The menu has been reduced ‘due to covid’ and is room service only, so no steak but you can have a burger. Go figure. What hasn’t been reduced in spite of the fact that there is no washing up, no cleaning tables and no waiters, are the prices. There is also no mention of the fact that the food is served to your room in a cardboard box with a plastic knife and fork and a thin paper napkin. How depressing. I chose what I thought would be the best of a poor selection and had a chicken curry. It was presented with all the finesse of a maximum security prison buffet. A spoonful of rice forming a small island surrounded by a shallow sea of bland curry sauce, in which sat three or four pieces of chicken. It came with a microwaved naan bread that had hardened round the edges and a soft popadom. For this I was charged £16.50. I feel genuinely insulted but as I hadn’t eaten all day and to my shame, I ate it. It was food that provided energy and that’s the best I can say about it. Before dinner I felt good about this hotel and was already considering coming back here for pleasure rather than business. After dinner that idea disappeared like the steam from my rice would have done if it had been served hot enough to create steam, which it wasn’t.

I recently spent a mammoth 10-week stay in the hotel (for work), and was made to feel very at home throughout. The staff were all fantastic, especially Liam, Ellie & Sam (the friendly front-of-house team), and Tim (cooking up a storm in the kitchen, including some off-menu specials we requested!). Huge huge thanks to everyone involved...x